Keane, Bil, 1922-

Bil Keane (1922- ) is an American cartoonist and creator of the comic strips Silly Philly, Channel Chuckles and The Family Circus .

Bil Keane (1922-) was born in Philadelphia on October 5, 1922. Keane taught himself to draw and began cartooning before entering high school. Keane’s first published cartoon appeared on the amateur page of the Philadelphia Daily News on May 21, 1936. While attending Northeast Catholic High School Keane regularly published cartoons and illustrations in the school’s Good News Magazine . During WWII, Keane served in Australia and created publicity art for the Theater Fiscal Office of the United States Armed Forces in the Far East. His illustrations were used to sell life insurance to soldiers and war bonds.

After the war in 1945 Keane started working as a staff artist for the Philadelphia Bulletin where from 1947-1961 he drew the Silly Philly Sunday strip featuring a young Quaker boy based on William Penn. In 1954, Keane’s first nationally syndicated strip, Channel Chuckles was introduced with the Register and Tribune Syndicate. Channel Chuckles appeared for 22 years.

Keane moved near Phoenix, Arizona in 1959 where he began to work from home. Finding inspiration from his young children and his wife Thel, Keane created another nationally syndicated strip, The Family Circle in 1960, which was renamed The Family Circus a few months later.

Keane served as president for the National Cartoonists Society from 1981-1983. The NCS awarded The Family Circus with the Newspaper Panel Cartoon award in 1971, 1973 and 1974 and honored Keane with the Elzie Segar Award in 1982.

With his own children grown, Bil Keane began taking inspiration from his grandchildren. The strip also became a family endeavor. As of 2009 Keane’s youngest son Jeff colors and inks The Family Circus . And the strip is syndicated in over 1500 newspapers by King Features Syndicate.

From the guide to the Bil Keane Cartoons., 1954-1966., (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)